Hi! I bought a clematis on clearance. It had one little vine, which fell off...

Asked August 13, 2014, 9:23 AM EDT

Hi! I bought a clematis on clearance. It had one little vine, which fell off when I took it out of the pot (so basically I just planted the roots). I was told that clematis like their stems in shade and their flowers in sun, so I transplanted several ferns to go around it. The fern blades wilted as a result of the transplant, so they're not currently providing any shade for the clematis, but I anticipate they will work great for next year. In the meantime, I'm wondering if I should put something near the clematis that will give it some shade - maybe a potted plant or something else? Or doesn't it matter at this point since the clematis is just roots and doesn't have any stems growing yet? The area I planed the clematis gets sun for a couple hours in the early afternoon. Any suggestions you have would be very helpful! Thanks for your help, Jordan Milan Duluth, MN